Sleep or Breastfeed?

12thFeb2016

We have all heard the saying that being a mother or a parent means you now have to suffer with loss of sleep because you now have a newborn baby. Or that if you want to breast-feed this is also the case…

I need to tell you that why should you suffer with the loss of sleep just because people have told you this is the case?

I have worked with clients and known mothers who have been able to nurse while being able to get a full night of sleep. You do not have to choose between the two. Sleep is essential to us; it allows our bodies to repair themselves and helps us to fight off a virus to stop us from getting sick.

You may be able to go a day or maybe a week at the most but by then your body starts to suffer. You become stressed and lack of sleep stops you from making good decisions. Your reaction times are affected and this will cause accidents to happen. Lack of sleep in new mothers and even fathers is linked to post partum depression, (yes, dads suffer with this also).

I agree that the first months of having a newborn is all about bonding and getting in all the snuggles you can possibly take, but there is nothing wrong with setting a good sleep foundation and feeding routine from the start, this is going to help you in the long run. Get a separate day and night routine going so baby knows the difference from around 3 months. When my son weighed over 10LBS, I felt comfortable leaving him at night to wake up when he was ready to eat. We used to spend an hour trying to wake him up enough to feed, an hour feeding him and then an hour sleep for us and it would begin all over again.

As a mother who suffered with PPD, it is essential for me to be able to help other families over come this part of life and get back to living and enjoying being parents. The Sleep Sense way is a gentle approach to sleep training, but the thing that makes this and what I do so unique, is that you have choices in how you proceed with the program. For parents who want minimal crying, you are able to sit in your child’s room to help comfort them. For parents who are OK with fussing and crying, you can do a leave and check method.

Any type of sleep training involves crying on some level. If your child has been used to being rocked or held to go to sleep then they will expect it every-time. As adults we have our own way of falling asleep. Sleeping on the left side of the bed with two pillows and a glass of water. If I came to you can told you that tonight you are going to sleep on the right hand side with one pillow and no water, your going to be upset about that and be able to say your not. The difference with children is that crying is the only form of communication they have up to a certain age. So, back to my point of crying, it is unavoidable, but we can make it easier on both you and your child.

Being a stay at home mother and a business owner is stressful, but it is also very rewarding. I hear from my clients that they have had results in little as 2 days. Their child goes from sleeping only 5 hours per night with multiple wake-ups to 10+ hours consolidated sleep and an improvement in naps too. I truly enjoy being able to work with families from all over America and the United Kingdom.

So if you are reading this and think you want to make a change for the better then what are you waiting for?! Call me to get a FREE sleep evaluation and let me help you teach your child a new way of sleeping and being able to enjoy being you again. Without taking care of yourself, you are unable to take care of others.